Egypt Independent

MP drafts homophobic law to jail LGBT people or ‘promoters’ in Egypt

In the wake of the Lebanese band Mashrou Leila’s concert in Egypt where some people raised rainbow flags, an unprecedented crackdown has taken place against the country’s LGBT community.

As part of the homophobic trend, MP Ryad Abdel Sattar on Wednesday introduced to the parliament’s speaker Ali Abdel Aal a draft law entailing five main articles to criminalize homosexuality.

The draft law would pave the way for strict punitive measures against the LGBT community in Egypt, in addition to restricting the presence of homosexuals inside Egyptian society, Abdel Sattar said in media statements dedicated to local outlets.

The draft law has received approval from a number of the parliament’s members who asserted their readiness to approve it — the draft law is expected to be discussed inside the parliament after being reviewed by the speaker Ali Abdel Aal.

Egypt Independent was able to review the main articles of the suggested draft law after receiving a copy from the media office of MP Ryad Abdel Sattar.

The first article defines homosexuality as any person engaging in sexual intercourse with someone of the same sex.

The second article clarified that any person engaging in homosexuality in a public or private place should be subjected to punitive action that should be no less than one-year and not exceeding three years in jail.

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It added that in case those jailed homosexual people repeated having sex after being freed, then the punitive action should be five years in jail.

The third article highlighted that any “supporter” of homosexuality or someone who calls for the acceptance of homosexuality, even if he or she is not a “practitioner of homosexuality,” should be jailed for no less than one year or no more than three years.

The fourth article paid attention to media coverage to parties organized by homosexual people, stipulating that any representatives of the media that “promotes” LGBT parties would be jailed for three years.

Moreover, the article also noted that organizers or participants of such parties would be jailed for the same period.

“It is prohibited to show any sign or symbol of homosexuality or to promote it, all violators will be jailed for no less than one year and no more than three years,” the fifth article read.